Jaissle’s Newcastle appointment traced back to Barcelona’s Gordon deal

The departure of Matthias Jaissle from Al Ahli Saudi FC was the result of a chain of events that began almost two months earlier, according to a report by Catalan newspaper Sport.

Reports said on Thursday that Jaissle had resigned as Al Ahli manager in order to take charge of Newcastle United next season, succeeding Eddie Howe.

The developments at Newcastle are believed to have been shaped in part by Barcelona’s decision to sign England winger Anthony Gordon, Sport reported. Barcelona announced Gordon’s arrival from Newcastle on 29 May for 70m euros, with a further 10m euros in potential add-ons.

Gordon’s departure was described as particularly significant because he had been viewed as a player around whom Newcastle could build their next project. That importance increased after Sweden striker Alexander Isak moved to Liverpool last summer.

The loss of Gordon opened the way for further departures from Newcastle’s squad. Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali subsequently joined Tottenham in a deal worth 108m euros.

Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimaraes is also close to leaving, with Arsenal reportedly prepared to pay 90m euros for his services.

The repeated exits of key players contributed to Howe’s decision to step down, according to the report. The English manager left his position to take a break, amid uncertainty over Newcastle’s direction and prospects for the following season.

That prompted Newcastle’s search for a new manager, with Jaissle emerging as the preferred candidate after his impressive work at Al Ahli over the past three years.

Jaissle guided the Saudi club to the AFC Champions League Elite title for the first time in its history. He then led them to the same achievement for a second time, while also overseeing a Saudi Super Cup triumph that ended a nine-year wait for the trophy.

The German’s success at Al Ahli made him an attractive option for Newcastle as the club attempted to deal with the changes affecting both its squad and coaching staff. His expected move would therefore represent the latest stage of a process that began with Gordon’s transfer to Barcelona and was followed by a series of major departures.

While the reports of Jaissle’s resignation emerged on Thursday, the sequence of events behind his move had been developing for several weeks. Gordon’s switch to Barcelona was presented as the initial turning point, followed by Isak’s previous move, Tonali’s transfer to Tottenham, Guimaraes’ expected move to Arsenal and Howe’s decision to leave.

Newcastle are now set to turn to Jaissle as they prepare for next season, while Al Ahli face the task of replacing a manager who delivered two AFC Champions League Elite titles and the Saudi Super Cup during his three-year spell.